[TenTec] Ten-Tec firsts???

Sat Jul 7 05:55:05 PDT 2012

The Ten-Tec Triton was being marketed in late 1973.

The Argonaut 505 and 405 100 watt (input) linear were being marketed in early 1973.

73,

-Lee-

WA3FIY

On 7 Jul 2012 at 12:48, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:

> Let's take these one at a time, Doug:
> 
> *** FIRST 100W TRANSCEIVER:  
> You are confusing the launch date of the Atlas 180 with the 210/215. 
> The 180 may have preceded the Triton by a few months, but it only
> covered 160, 80, 40, and 20m.  The 210 covered 80, 40, 20, 15, and
> 10m, and the 215 covered 16, 80, 40, 20 and 15m, but they came after
> the Triton.
> 
> Similar with the SWAN SS100 (which I used on my DX-pedition to Andorra
> in 1975).  Like the Triton, it was rated 100w input.  The SS200 came
> out a bit later.  Actually the 100 may have been earlier because Herb
> left Swan in 1973, but then again he only worked on the design...
> 
> The key factor here is Herb Johnson, W6QKI, who founded both Swan and
> Atlas. He ran Swan until 1973 and founded Atlas in 1974; I remember
> all of that, and I know he designed the SS100 and 200, but my grey
> cells remember the transceivers actually launching after he had left
> Swan, which resulted in a discussion about whether or not it would be
> risky to buy them.  This puts the SS100 at about the same launch date
> as the Triton.
> 
> PERHAPS SOMEONE HAS A BETTERY MEMORY OR SOME EXACT LAUNCH DATE DATA. 
> IN ANY CASE IT WAS VERY CLOSE! MAYBE I GOT THIS ONE WRONG...MAYBE
> NOT... BUT NOT THE REST!
> 
> 
> *** FIRST LEGAL LIMIT AMPLIFIER:
> In 1980 the legal limit was 1000w INPUT power.
> The rules changed in 1983, allowing 1500 PEP output power, with a
> Grandfather clause extending the 1000w INPUT power limit for AM, that
> lasted until 1990,. I don't know what happened after that. INDEED THIS
> ONE COUNTS AS A FIRST
> 
> 
> *** PIONEERED TUNABLE CRYSTAL FILTER:
> My Bad!   (but just bad wording on my part, still a FIRST).
> 
> I should have said "Pioneered First Tunable MULTI-POLE Crystal Filter"
> (Jones Filter). This filter was invented by Lee Jones, and the patent
> was issued to Ten-Tec. Lee was an ex-Collins engineer. The original
> Collins circuit used only one single crystal so it didn't have very
> steep skirts. The phasing [variable capacitor] which provided the
> variable bandwidth, worked on this single crystal. Lee's filter worked
> on a different principal, and was considerably better, originally
> using 4 crystals. He used varicap diodes to tune all crystals
> simultaneously. I guess you could use as many crystals as you want,
> but I know my Scout had 4. This was significantly superior to the
> Collins design. INDEED THIS ONE COUNTS AS A FIRST!  (I just named it
> wrong.)
> 
> BTW, guess which other US manufacturer "borrowed" this filter design
> in their early transceiver kits!
> 
> 73
> Rick
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Douglas Sent:
> Saturday, July 07, 2012 11:22 AM To: tentec at contesting.com Subject:
> [TenTec] Ten-Tec firsts???
> 
> I'm a supporter of Ten-Tec but am not sure of all of those claimed
> "firsts".
> 
> First 100 watt HF Solid state transceiver? I  don't think so. For
> example the Atlas 100 watt 180 and the 210 transceivers preceded the
> Triton by at least a year (1974). 
> 
> Also the Swan SS-100 and SS-200 series were introduced in late 1974.
> 
> Also the 1980 Hercules (444) was not a legal limit amp. Unless you are
> claiming the earlier 1KW input legal limit definition? It was rated at
> 1200 watts INPUT on SSB and 1000 watts input on SW. I've got one that
> is still fully operational. It uses two 600 watt input modules each
> containing a pair of transisters in push-pull running at 45 volts Vcc.
> Output is typically (CW keydown) about 500 to 600 watts.
> 
> Pioneered tunable crystal filters? I don't think so. The Collins 75A1
> had them in 1949, the slightly more refined Collins 75A2 had them in
> 1952, etc..
> 
> See: 
> http://www.wa3key.com/75a1.html
> 
> 73,
> Doug/WA1TUT
> 
> 
> 
> > 
> > On 5 Jul 2012 at 8:39, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
> > 
> > > Jim, this is a reply to your post but I changed the
> > subject, so that
> > > we can keep the "first ten-tec" thread homogeneous.
> > > 
> > > I helped launch Ten-Tec here in Germany in 2004.
> > > Scott came over and gave a presentation in
> > Friedrichshafen.
> > > In that process, I did some research and put together a
> > list of
> > > Ten-Tec's "Firsts":
> > > 
> > >   . First all solid state 5-band SSB/CW
> > transceiver (Argonaut, 1971)
> > > 
> > >   . First 100 watt solid state HF
> > transceiver (Triton, 1975)
> > > 
> > >   . First legal limit solid state HF amp
> > (Hercules, 1980)
> > > 
> > >   . Pioneered tunable crystal filters
> > (Delta II, 1990)
> > > 
> > >   . First HF transceiver with built-in
> > DSP (Omni-VI 1992)
> > > 
> > >   . First software defined HF receiver
> > (RX-320, 1998)
> > > 
> > >   . First Flash-ROM upgradeable HF
> > transceiver (Pegasus 1999)
> > > 
> > >   . First selectable I-F roofing filter
> > transceiver (Orion 2003) 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > SO WITH ALLTHOSE FIRSTS, it's even more astonishing
> > that TEN-TEC never
> > > had more success than they had.
> > >
> > 
> > 
> > ------------------------------
> > > 73
> > > Rick, DJ0IP
> > >
> > 
> 
> > 
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